Furnace-grate.



W. C. ARMSTRONG.

URNACE GRATE. APPLICATION FILED MAY zo,1012.

l l 24,25.. Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

if I /L//q/' r 5 "is 0 /0 I 2/ .siding at Springfield, in the county sanierte rnrrnrrr entre WILLIAM C. ARMSTRQNG, QF SPRXNGFE, OPEC.

scannen-enana.

Specicationo Lettera 'atent.

Patented Jan., i2, i915.

pplicatlon filed may 20, -1912. Serial N0, EBSSG.

To ull @hom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Wiseman U. AntrsTRoNo, a citizen' of the United States, re

Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new y and useful Improvements in Furnace-Grates,

o which3 the Jrollovving is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

, rlfhis invention relates to furnace grates and more particularly 'to grates, the several bars ,of which are provided'with laterally Vextending iingers and are capable of movement about longitudinal axes, the ingers of the 'adjacent grate bars interlocking.

The object of the invention is to provide a grate of this character in which sutiicient movement may be imparted to the grate bars to loosen any clinkers or heavy ash which mayhave lodged between them and clear the'air spaces without danger of the grates being tipped so far as to dump any of the coal into the ash pit and which will also permit the grate bars to be moved into positions to dump all of the ashes and coal on ythe grate into the ash pit.

,To this end it is a further object of the invention to rovide a grate with a device to positively limit lthe movement of the several -rate bars.

lt is an object of the invention to provide a simple durable bearing be readily removed.

it is also an object of the invention to so construct the grate bars as to impart a maximum 'of strength for the metal therein. y y ln the accompanying drawings Figure l isa perspective view, partly broken away, of a grate embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detailview of one of the bearings showing the vgrate moval. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the grate bar in its normal, or horizontal, position and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the grate showing the grate bars in section.

y In these drawingsI I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention and have shown the'same as applied to a grate comsol " 'aed with trunnlons -carried by prising a series of grate bars 1 each pro- 2 mounted in bearings frame members 3 Whichin turn are supported by the usual grate supports, such as the walls 4. The bearings in which the trunnions of the grate bars are mounted may bei-of any suitable character. ln the for the grate bars` laterally bar -tilted into position for re-i constructed of metal and have formed therein openings 5 adapted to receive therespective trunnions 2 Vand form bearings therefor. rlhe bearing thus formed is obviously of a very simp'le,yet very durable, character. 4It will not be materially a'eeted by the heat or rough usage to which it may-be subjected. -ln order that vthe grate bars may be heldl firmly .in position in their bearings during the shaking process and yet that the may be removed readily when desired, have formed each bearing 5 with an opening in the upper portion thereof. The opening is of a width less than the length of the greatest diameter of the bar. The upper portion of each trunnion 2 is flattened as indicated at 6 so that the diameter of the bearing from top to bottom is substantially equal to or slightly less than the width of the opening in the bearing, but the horizontal diameter of the trunnion is substantially c equal to the horizontal diameter of the bearing. Gbviously, therefore, when the trunnion is in position within the bearing, the

grate bar must lbe rockedthrough substantially a quarter of a revolution before the trunnion's can be removed from the bearings, but when the grate bar has been rocked about a quarter of a revolution and into a substantially vertical position, it can be readily removed from its bearings.

Each grate bar is provided with a row of extending teeth 7, the alternate teeth of interlocking. The relative length and width of the teeth are such that the adjacent teeth will be spaced short distances apart to form air spaces. are in their normal or horizontal positions the grate will have a substantially flat upper each grate bar being of dilierentv length' and the teeth of adjacent grate bars `When the several grate barsA surface upon lwhich the bed of fuel rests.

lWhen the grate is in use clinlcers and heavy Apieces of ash will gather in and over the air spaces and yit is desirable that the grate bars should have relative movement suiiicient to loosen these clinlrers and thus open the air spaces, and it is v,also highly desirable that this movement should be so limited that in the shaking operation there will be no danger' of the bars being tilted to such an extent that 'a portion, or all, of the fire would be dumped into the' ash pit, and further, 'it is very desirable that` means Should be provided for retaining the grate bars normally in their horizontal positions' to provide a at supporting surface for the fue as it is almost impossible for the stoker to determine, from the exterior of the. furnace, the Aexact positions of the. grate bars.

Each grate bar is connected with an oper' ,ating device by means ofwhich movement is imparted Ithereto. Preferably this device,

as a whole, comprises an operating lever 8- mountediat one end on a bracket 9 secured .-to the` front wall of the furnace. This lever .is connected b 11 depending rom the respectiveffgrate bars. l,Preferably the several arms '11 are connected to an intermediate bar A12 and the bar 10 pivotally connected with this intermediate are, It will 'be apparenty that the manipulation ofthe vlever 8 will cause the :grate bars to rock about through longitudinal'axes and that the amount of this movement is controlled by the amount of movement imparted to the lever. Therefore, in order to limit the amount of movement which can be imparted 'to the grate bar's,'I provide a detent which will posiltively limit the movement. of the lever 8 inboth directions.` In the present form of the 'device this detent comprises a dog 13 pivotally mounted on the lfront wall of the furnace and having two stopsV 14 and 15 spaced some distance apart and yadapted to engage the stop or projection carried by the lever. As here shown, the lever is'provided with an opening 16 into whichone end of the dog 13 extends. A projection or lug extends'above the bottom of the opening, as shown at 1 7 ,to form a stop, whichstop extends between the coperating stops on the dog 13. .Consequently,-so long as the dog is 'in its operative position, the lever can be moved only through a distance equal to the space between the two stops on the detent.

This distance is such as to cause the grate bars to have a relative movement sufficient yso sition and the lever 8 can then be moved a distance suiiicient to rockl the grate bars through 'substantially a quarter of a revolution and thus move the same into, approxi matelyp a. vertical position' and thereby cause the entire fire or, if the fire is dead,

vthe entire accumulation of clinkers and ash to be dumped into the ash pit. Should any of the` clinkers on the grate be too large to pass through vthe openings thus formed between the grate bars the manipulation of the `lever will cause the bars to act as a a bar or rod 10 with arms vzontal positions. l

tion consists of a ysecond detent 18 also pivotally mounted on the front wall of the.

furnace and having" a nose'or projection 19 adapted to v"enter a recess in a block 20 carl`l ried by the operating bar 10. The block 20 is preferably adjustable by. means of a set screw 21 and can be adjusted to -such a position that when the lnose ofthe detent 18 is in engagement with the recess of the block the grate bars will be in their hori- In order that themetal of I bars are formed may be utilized to the best possible advantage' and the greatest possiUle strength secured from a given amount ,of metal, I have so bonstructed the bars that the larger portion of the metal in the grate bar will be located at a point remote from .the fire. In the present construction of the y grat-chars I have provided each with a body portion having two depending longitudinal ribs 22 spaced a short distance apart and having their lowerportions of ajthickness greater than the thickness oftheir upper portion, asl indicated at 23. Inthis-manner the heaviest portion ofthe rib 1s located in a position where it will be least affected by the heat and therefore the strength bf the bar is materially increased, the extra thickness of the lower portion of the ribs acting `as a s ort of truss giving extra strength and preventing warping.

The operation of the grate will be readily understood from the foregoing description and' it willl be apparent that the shaking movement of the grate is positively limited to prevent theaccidental dumping of the fire but .sufiicient `movement can, when desired, be imparted to the grate bars to dump the fire or ash; that the grate bars' are which the grate ico mounted in simple, durable bearings from which they cannot be accidentally displaced but from which they can be readily" re# movedl at will; and further, that the construction of the bars'wis such as to impart theretoja maximumjstrength.

VVhil'e I have herein shown and described vone embodiment of my invention, it will be bars shown is not claimed herein,N as thisforms the subject matter of a separate application for patent filed Nov. 2nd, 1914,

Ser. No. 869,749.

laving fully described my invention,

iso

.nia/ieee what l claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is: i

1. Thecombinatiomwith a series of' rocking grate bars, of a reciprocatory actuating..`

lofsiipport adjacent to said lever and having f -two stops, said detent being, movable Ainto and out of position to cause said stops to extend on opposite sides of the stop on said.

lever, the stops on said detent being spaced apart to permit the stop on the lever to have movement between them and serving to positively limit the movement of said lever in either direction, and said detent being movable' to disengage the same from4 the stop on said lever to permit of a longer movement of said lever.

2. The combination, With a series of grate bars, and a reciprocatory actuating bar therefor, of a lever connected with said bar and pivotally mounted on an axis transverse to said liar, a detent to lock said bar against all movement, a stop on said lever, and a second detent coperating with said stop to permit said lever to have a limited movement, when said first-mentioned detent isin its inoperative'position, said last detent also b'eii'ip, movable into an inoperative.position to permit the unlimited movement of said lever. l

3. The combination, with a rocking rate bar and a device to operate tlie'same comprisiiig a lever havingl an opeiiingitlierein, and also having a projectioii'arranged adja cent to said opening, of a dct'ent pivotally7 mounted'adjacent to said lever and adapted to enter said opening, said detent having t'ivo stops arranged to extend on the respective sides oi' the proJection carried on said lever tofliniit thev swinging movement of said level". v y

Ll. In a grate, the eonibinatiomwitha pliirality et' grate bars movable about their longitiidinaliaxes and so arranged that when in their horizontal positions they Will form a substantially fiat surface, of an operating device theiefoi',a stop adjiistably connecte with saidoperatingdevice and having a recess, and a detent mounted on a fixed sup`- port and adapted to enter sind recess.

5. ln a grate, the combination, with a rocking grate bar, of an operating device therefor including a lever having a stop, a second stop adjustably connected With said operating device and having a recess, a deteiit pivotally mounted on a fixed support and adapted in one position of the detent to enter the recess in said second stop to lock `the grate bar against all movement, and e second detent pivotally mounted on said fixed support adjacent to the lever and hav-vr ing tivo stops arranged to receive Vbetween` them the stop on the lever and spaced apart to allow said stops to have movement be tween them, whereby, when the first-innenu tioned detent has been disengaged from its coperating stop the'last-inentioned detent will limit the swinging movement of the lever in both directions. y

In testimony whereof, l aiix dmy signature in presence of two Witnesses.

'VJILLAM C. ARMSTRONG.

' Witnesses: 

